May 19, 2009 10:00 EST
Modern & Contemporary and European & American Art
199
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt
American, 1830-1902
American Falls at Niagara
Signed with conjoined initials ABierstadt (lr) and stamped Nachlass/Versteigerung/Adolf Schreyer on the reverse of original canvas
Oil on canvas
36 1/4 x 26 1/4 inches
Provenance:
Collection of Adolph Schreyer, circa 1880 (Auction of Professor Adolf Schreyer, Frankfurt, Germany: Rudolf Bangel, cat. 1027, lot 133 as Die Niagarafalle, p. 88)
Gade Family
By descent to the Estate of Alice M. Gade, Metuchen, New Jersey
Godel & Company and Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, 1999
Private collection, Washington, D.C.
Niagara Falls had long been a popular destination for visitors by the time that Albert Bierstadt first visited in the 1860s. Many artists had sought to convey the glories of the falls, including John Trumbull, Alvan Fisher, John Vanderlyn, Thomas Cole, Frederick Edwin Church, Jasper Cropsey, and John F. Kensett. Indeed, by 1900, the cataracts had been depicted more than any other natural wonder in America. Familial connections were among the factors drawing Albert Bierstadt to the area. His sister, Helen, and brother, Charles, a photographer who became known for his stereographs of the falls, both lived in the vicinity.
On September 9, 1865, The Round Table noted that "Mr. Bierstadt is studying Niagara." [Nancy K. Anderson and Linda S. Ferber, Albert Bierstadt: Art and Enterprise. New York: The Brooklyn Museum in association with Hudson Hills Press, 1990, p. 181] Whether Bierstadt had actually visited the falls that year, or whether he may have been studying stereographs made by his brother, Charles, who may have moved to Niagara as early as 1863, remains unclear.
Bierstadt is known to have made at least five trips to Niagara, in 1869, 1877, 1889, 1881 and 1882. Through the years he produced at least a dozen views of the falls, painting them from different perspectives in both large- and small-scale works, the latter notable for their freshness and spontaneity. Important large versions are included in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Thomas Gilcrease Institute, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
This majestic view depicts the American Falls from a perspective similar to that employed by Jasper Cropsey, who had visited Niagara with John Kensett in 1852 and returned in 1855 and 1856. Here Bierstadt emphasizes the grandeur of the scene, with dramatic rock formations, cascading torrents, and mist rising upward toward a brilliant blue sky. The undated painting was acquired around 1880 by Bierstadt's compatriot, Adolph Schreyer, also known for painting in monumental scale. Schreyer retained the work until his death and it was included in the sale of his estate in 1922.
We extend our thanks to Melissa Webster Speidel of the Albert Bierstadt Project for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Sold for $193,750
Estimated at $150,000 - $350,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
Albert Bierstadt
American, 1830-1902
American Falls at Niagara
Signed with conjoined initials ABierstadt (lr) and stamped Nachlass/Versteigerung/Adolf Schreyer on the reverse of original canvas
Oil on canvas
36 1/4 x 26 1/4 inches
Provenance:
Collection of Adolph Schreyer, circa 1880 (Auction of Professor Adolf Schreyer, Frankfurt, Germany: Rudolf Bangel, cat. 1027, lot 133 as Die Niagarafalle, p. 88)
Gade Family
By descent to the Estate of Alice M. Gade, Metuchen, New Jersey
Godel & Company and Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, 1999
Private collection, Washington, D.C.
Niagara Falls had long been a popular destination for visitors by the time that Albert Bierstadt first visited in the 1860s. Many artists had sought to convey the glories of the falls, including John Trumbull, Alvan Fisher, John Vanderlyn, Thomas Cole, Frederick Edwin Church, Jasper Cropsey, and John F. Kensett. Indeed, by 1900, the cataracts had been depicted more than any other natural wonder in America. Familial connections were among the factors drawing Albert Bierstadt to the area. His sister, Helen, and brother, Charles, a photographer who became known for his stereographs of the falls, both lived in the vicinity.
On September 9, 1865, The Round Table noted that "Mr. Bierstadt is studying Niagara." [Nancy K. Anderson and Linda S. Ferber, Albert Bierstadt: Art and Enterprise. New York: The Brooklyn Museum in association with Hudson Hills Press, 1990, p. 181] Whether Bierstadt had actually visited the falls that year, or whether he may have been studying stereographs made by his brother, Charles, who may have moved to Niagara as early as 1863, remains unclear.
Bierstadt is known to have made at least five trips to Niagara, in 1869, 1877, 1889, 1881 and 1882. Through the years he produced at least a dozen views of the falls, painting them from different perspectives in both large- and small-scale works, the latter notable for their freshness and spontaneity. Important large versions are included in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Thomas Gilcrease Institute, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
This majestic view depicts the American Falls from a perspective similar to that employed by Jasper Cropsey, who had visited Niagara with John Kensett in 1852 and returned in 1855 and 1856. Here Bierstadt emphasizes the grandeur of the scene, with dramatic rock formations, cascading torrents, and mist rising upward toward a brilliant blue sky. The undated painting was acquired around 1880 by Bierstadt's compatriot, Adolph Schreyer, also known for painting in monumental scale. Schreyer retained the work until his death and it was included in the sale of his estate in 1922.
We extend our thanks to Melissa Webster Speidel of the Albert Bierstadt Project for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Relined; slightly flattened. Scattered cracquelure, most apparent in lower right quadrant. Scattered minor inpaint in areas of cracquelure, most notably in sky at upper left and at lower right. Possible 1 inch repair with inpaint at center.
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Auction: Modern & Contemporary and European & American Art, May 19, 2009
